Police threaten legal action against those who harbour persons fleeing treatment or quarantine centres

by Norman Palihawadane

The police have warned of legal action against those who give refuge to those who escape from COVID-19 treatment facilities or quarantine centres.

Police Spokesman DIG Ajith Rohana, yesterday, said legal action would be taken against such individuals under the Quarantine Ordinance.

He said that health authorities had placed 22 residents of six houses in Makola-North in Sapugaskanda under self-quarantine as a Covid-19 infected youth on the run was provided refuge in one of the houses.

The police, on Sunday, nabbed the youth who fled from his home at Makola North after testing positive for the coronavirus. He was arrested while he was hiding in a two-storey building in the same area.

The youth fled after being ordered to undergo self-quarantine in Sapugaskanda following a PCR test.

The 22-year-old had been requested to stay indoors until the result of the PCR test was obtained.

The result confirmed that the youth was infected but he fled from his home on hearing he was infected.

The Sapugaskanda police later issued a notice seeking public assistance to locate the youth.

Police Media Spokesman DIG Rohana said that the youth had been in prison over a drugs related offence before being released. The identity of an infected person was usually not made public but since the youth had fled and posed a danger to the public the Police had published his image and details to locate him, the police spokesman said.

The Police Spokesman said legal action would be taken against the residents of the house who provided refuge to the infected youth, upon completing their quarantine period.

DIG Rohana said the police were monitoring COVID-19 infected persons who were likely to escape due to drug addiction.